


The Mysterious Disappearance of Officer Tano

by mimimola



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Maulsoka, Mild Language, Mystery, Police Officer AU, Romance, everything is the same but there are no sith or jedi or the force!, my first mystery story here we go babeyy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26011123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimimola/pseuds/mimimola
Summary: Ahsoka Tano is the newest recruit at Galactic City's police force on Coruscant. Hoping to find her place in this world, she strives to make a difference. However, in the shadows there lurks an evil that goes deep, so deep that she is unable to find the source or even hope to eradicate it once and for all. That is, until a notorious crime lord makes her an offer.
Relationships: Darth Maul & Ahsoka Tano, Darth Maul/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 24
Kudos: 64





	1. AHSOKA I

Today was _the_ day.

Ahsoka Tano was officially going to become a police officer. No longer was she merely a student, a child chasing after a dream. Today that dream was going to become a reality. She was going to be an enforcer of the law, a protector of the peace, a guardian to the innocent and a friend to those in need. All of her hard work, and all of her classmates’ hard work, was finally paying off.

Over a dozen new recruits stood side by side in front of Galactic City’s police station on a stage. Ahsoka glanced over at her friends: Barriss Offee, Lux Bonteri and Steela Gerrera, who were graduating with her. They grinned at each other, and like her, could hardly believe this was real. In front of the stage, family members, friends, city officials and policemen and women sat in chairs. The press lined the edges of the stage, rapidly taking pictures as Chancellor Palpatine walked on and presented himself.

“I am most pleased,” he began, smiling easily, speaking into a microphone and addressing the crowd, “to welcome our newest members of Coruscant’s Galactic Police Department.” He gestured towards the young graduates and the audience cheered and clapped for them. Palpatine continued, “These fine young men and women have proven their worth and capabilities of hard work and dedication. I believe they will serve Coruscant and its people extraordinarily; may we serve them just as well.”

More clapping followed as Palpatine turned to face the people in question.

“Mas, if you please,” he added.

Palpatine’s assistant, a Chagrian male, went to his side, holding a shiny box. Ahsoka bit her lip to keep herself from grinning when she saw what was inside: rows of black and white badges sitting neatly on top of black cushion-y interior. Each badge bore the symbol of Coruscant’s police force. The chancellor went up to each person, pinning the badges and offering them his congratulations.

“Well done, Officer,” Palpatine said when he got to Ahsoka. He smiled and secured the pin to her navy blue shirt.

“Thank you, sir.” She saluted. When he moved onto the next person, she looked at her friends again, who were all beaming widely.

“And now,” Palpatine concluded, returning to the microphone. “Let us welcome our wonderful planet’s newest generation of police!” The crowd cheered once more and Ahsoka sighed with happiness.

“Come on, guys!” Steela exclaimed after the ceremony was over. The students were reuniting with their families and friends, speaking excitedly together. Steela gestured to where her brother was waiting for them. “My brother’s going to take a picture.”

“Against my own will,” Saw Gerrera joked as she, Lux, Barriss and Ahsoka stood next to each other, arm-in-arm.

“Just take the picture already!”

“Alright, smile!”

The four grinned and Saw’s holotransmitter captured the moment.

“I hope you didn’t blink, Cadet,” Lux teased Ahsoka, nudging her in the arm.

“That’s ‘Officer Tano’ to you,” she shot back with a grin. Lux was about to respond when Steela threw her arms around him and kissed him, and Ahsoka’s smile melted. The two had started dating a few months ago, and Ahsoka remembered feeling heartbroken at the news. She’d had a little crush on Lux before he and Steela got together, and even now she hadn’t quite gotten over it.

Steela was soon dragging her boyfriend away and he waved goodbye before the couple went to greet his family who’d also attended, Saw trailing behind. Barriss shortly left afterwards to speak with a mentor of hers, Luminara Unduli. It wasn’t the first time Ahsoka felt envious of her friends; they had someone come to the ceremony solely for them. She on the other hand, was an orphan and had no one.

“I believe congratulations are in order,” a deep, comforting voice said behind her. Ahsoka turned around and beamed when she saw Sergeant Plo Koon, one of her instructors at the academy, approach.

“Thank you, sir,” she said sincerely. “Today is a good day.”

“Yes, it is,” he agreed, coming to stand beside her and they watched the crowd before them, mingling and celebrating happily. “I remember the day I graduated, though it was many, many years ago. I am proud of you, Ahsoka. You’ve come a long way.” Ahsoka smiled at him gratefully. Plo Koon was like the father Ahsoka never had; he’d been a great guide to her as her teacher, and she’d always be grateful to him for all of his help.

“Where do you think I’ll be assigned?” she asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

“Hm, I believe since you asked, you already have a place in mind.”

Ahsoka grinned. “I want to be assigned here, at the Galactic Precinct.”

“The heart of Coruscant,” Plo Koon mused. “It is hard to be certain where you’ll be stationed, but I believe no matter where it is, you will do great things.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said again.

Days later, Ahsoka’s wish came true. She woke up in her dingy, old apartment late in the morning to find that her mail had already arrived. To her excitement, she found a letter from the police academy and saw that she had indeed been assigned to the Galactic Precinct. She read though the hologram quickly, her heart racing with anticipation. She then received a message from Lux, telling her that their little group should meet up one last time before going on active duty.

“You guys are so lucky,” he said later that night with obvious jealousy in his voice.

“What, that Barriss and Ahsoka were assigned to the same station and you’re stuck with me?” Steela asked, folding her arms. The friends sat around a table, sipping drinks and sharing their assignments with each other. Barriss had also been assigned to the Galactic Precinct, while Lux and Steela would be in the small town of Alderaan, clear on the other side of the planet.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Lux told his girlfriend. “I meant that here in Galactic City, that’s where all the action happens. I just wish I could be a part of that.”

“Well, maybe one of these days you’ll get transferred, or have a temporary assignment here,” Ahsoka suggested, trying to contribute to the conversation.

“Yeah,” Lux said, eyes lighting up as he grinned at her. “Maybe.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Steela snapped. Ahsoka didn’t miss the sharp glare she sent her way. Lux groaned.

“Can we not do this right now?” he pleaded.

“Why? You can’t talk about it all of a sudden? Why not let the others in on it?”

“Steela…”

They continued to argue, and Ahsoka looked away uncomfortably, thinking that perhaps she should have kept her mouth shut. Barriss sipped her drink loudly.

The group parted soon after on less than amicable terms. Lux had offered to fly everyone home on his speeder, but Ahsoka quickly declined and opted to walk, and was happy to see Barriss join her.

“That was…” Barriss muttered after the two had been walking for some time. Despite the late hour, the young women were surrounded by civilians, either going home, work or another destination. Above and below, they heard the air traffic of bikes, speeders and ships.

“That was _something_ ,” Ahsoka finished for her.

“I might as well say it,” Barriss said. “Because I know we’re all thinking it: it hasn’t been very fun to hang out as the four of us ever since Lux and Steela started dating. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if this was the last time we saw them for a while.”

“Barriss,” Ahsoka scolded her half-heartedly, but a part of her agreed. She’d always felt that Steela had some ill feelings towards her, like she was jealous, but there was really nothing to be jealous about. Then, once Steela and Lux became a couple, it got ten times worse. Ahsoka sighed as she and Barriss continued to walk down the street. She thought about all the times Steela made snarky, passive-aggressive comments around her. Her friendship with her was basically non-existent at this point, and as sad as that made Ahsoka, she was also sick and tired of it.

But she and Lux had always just been friends. There had been times, sure, when she hoped that he felt the same way about her. In fact, over a year ago, before Steela asked him out, their little group had snuck out in the middle of the night to attend a party. While they danced together, Lux suddenly kissed Ahsoka. Her heart had stopped and she had never felt happier in that moment, but just as quickly as it began, it abruptly ended. He pulled away and went on dancing as if nothing had happened. Before she could really figure out what her feelings were, it was too late, and at this point, their relationship―whatever it was―was never going to change. She never told what happened to anyone, not even to Barriss, who was her closest friend. A part of her, deep inside, wanted to keep that special moment to herself, even if it didn’t mean anything to Lux.

“Ugh, that’s terrible,” Barriss commented with disgust, breaking Ahsoka from her reverie. They were now waiting at a crosswalk and her gaze was drawn upwards.

“What is?” Ahsoka asked, following her line of sight to a giant hologram which projected the news. Underneath the news anchor was a headline which read: “Nightbrothers Destroy Shipyard: Still at Large”.

“The Nightbrothers,” she then said thoughtfully. “We learned about them in class, didn’t we? Aren’t they a group of real life brothers?”

“Rumor is they’re right here in Galactic City,” Barriss said with a nod. “There is so much corruption in this world, Ahsoka, it scares me sometimes. Lord Maul, Lord Sidious―so many lords, by the way―and none of them have ever been caught!”

“Sidious is the worst of them all,” Ahsoka agreed, suppressing a shudder. Back at the academy, she remembered studying about the crime lords who ruled the rotten underbelly of Coruscant. Barriss was right; there were hundreds of these kinds of criminals and organizations, selling drugs, slaves and other illegal goods in a trafficking system that had been around before Ahsoka was born. The Nightbrothers were only one of those organizations, as were The Pykes, Black Watch, Hondo Ohnaka and his pirates, to name a few. Somehow, they were operating right under the authorities' noses, making money and getting away with their crimes and never leaving a trace.

But Lord Sidious was the most evil and most mysterious one of them all. Not a thing was known about Sidious, not even if they were male or female, and they were completely unknown to public knowledge. A name was all the police had, all they were able to get out of interrogations from criminals, on the rare occasion that they were lucky enough to catch one. Whoever this Sidious was, they were responsible for several hundred deaths of innocents, and those were just the numbers that the police were aware of. Who knew how many more lives Sidious was responsible for?

“Maybe,” Barriss glanced at Ahsoka with a hopeful smile, bumping her friend’s shoulder. “Maybe we’ll be the ones to catch them.”

“We haven’t even had our first day yet,” Ahsoka laughed, shaking her head as they crossed the street. “Maybe you ought to lower your expectations just a little.”

“Dream big, Ahsoka! What’s wrong with having a goal to work towards?”

“Hm, nothing at all,” Ahsoka responded, looking back at the news, seeing a bad quality picture of the leader of the Nightbrothers appear in the hologram.

* * *

On the morning of Ahsoka’s first day as a police officer, she dressed carefully and slowly in her new uniform, wanting to remember this moment. She looked in the mirror as she buttoned up her white shirt, then pulled on her dark blue police coat. Securing the pin on the front pocket and holstering her police-issued blaster on her belt, she looked proudly at her reflection. Today was the start of a new chapter, the anticipated period of her life where she could contribute in a positive way in the world, to really make a difference.

At eight o’ clock sharp, she greeted Barriss in front of the station, as the two friends had decided they would walk in together. They were shown the briefing room promptly for orientation and were respectfully introduced to Chief of Police Yoda and Deputy Chief Mace Windu, who assigned them to their trainers. As was Galactic City police procedure, new recruits were given trainers on their first day, veterans at the station who’d be showing them the ropes over the next six months.

“Luminara put in a request to be paired up with me,” Barriss whispered to Ahsoka excitedly as the two went up to Deputy Windu and received their packets. Ahsoka smiled and tried to be happy for her, but she was only reminded of how alone she was without her friends. Barriss already had connections within the police station, and Lux was the son of one of the most powerful political figures in the world: Mina Bonteri, who was a senator from Onderon. She tried not to let it get to her too much and prided herself in the hard work she did to get where she was now, but it wasn’t the first time Ahsoka felt the stirrings of jealousy within her.

Barriss waved goodbye cheerfully and was soon off to find Sergeant Luminara Unduli, who was currently assigned to the archives.

“Officer Tano,” Windu prompted, holding out the packet. “Your new trainer.” Ahsoka accepted the papers and flipped through them.

“Taken great care we have in choosing this trainer for you,” Chief Yoda spoke up as she read her assignment, and she looked at him. The small, green alien was perched on top of the podium, leaning on a cane. He looked amused and slightly mischievous as he regarded her. “Learn a lot from him you will.”

“Thank you, sirs,” she said. Then she peered at the writing. “It says here he is a detective?”

“Yes,” Windu answered, and he sounded a little exasperated, but Ahsoka could tell it was not targeted towards her. “He should be in his office on the fifth floor, but he’s never where he’s supposed to be.”

Ahsoka took one of the large, fancy elevators near the entrance of the police station to the fifth floor of the building. As she exited the compartment, she was immediately greeted by a large sign that read “Crime Investigation” hanging above a set of doors. She pushed a button on a console and the doors slid open rapidly, revealing a long, ominous-looking hallway. The lighting was poor and flickered in and out at random intervals.

 _Okay,_ she thought. _This sure is welcoming._

She glanced at her packet once more as she made her way down the hall, passing numerous doors with names labelled on them. When she came across the correct door and opened it, she was surprised to see not a person in the office, which was surprisingly cramped, but a droid. It was blue and silver and beeped upon seeing her.

“Hello,” she said, bending her knees a little as it approached her. “I don’t suppose you’re Detective Anakin Skywalker, are you?” she joked.

“He is most decidedly not. _That_ is R2-D2.” a voice said behind her. Ahsoka turned around to see a bearded man standing by the door, attempting to get into the office. “You’re not going to stand in the doorway the entire time, are you?”

“Oh. No, sorry.” She stepped to the side to let him pass. “Detective Skywalker?”

“I am sorry to disappoint, but no,” he answered. His personality was clearly snarky and sarcastic, but he had a kind, familiar air about him. He held out his hand and they shook. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, at your service.”

“Ahsoka Tano, sir. Good to meet you.”

“Likewise, Officer Tano. The man you’re looking for is my partner, who is, believe it or not…” Detective Kenobi jabbed a thumb behind him, pointing to one of the two cubicles in the small space. He shrugged at the questioning look on her face before going to sit down at his own desk. Ahsoka made her way over, peering over the little wall and found a younger man, fast asleep at his desk.

“Um, Detective Skywalker?” she said nervously, shocked to see someone sleeping on the job. “Sir?” She considered poking him in the shoulder, but R2-D2 beat her to it, wheeling right up to him and screeching in his ear.

“Ah!” He jumped in his seat, looking frantically around, noticing Ahsoka and the droid. He sighed in annoyance. “R2, was that really necessary?”

R2 responded in short beeps, seemingly amused.

“Oh, _very_ funny, R2. Can’t a guy get some shut eye around here?”

The two continued to argue back and forth before Detective Skywalker finally acknowledged Ahsoka.

“Who are you?” he asked bluntly, but Ahsoka decided to give him the benefit of doubt and attribute his rudeness to his clear exhaustion.

“Ahsoka Tano,” she greeted politely, holding out her hand. “I’ve been assigned to train under you.”

“ _What?_ ” he asked incredulously. She dropped her hand, taken aback at his reaction. They were interrupted by Kenobi’s laughter from his desk. “What’s so funny, Obi-Wan?”

“Please, excuse me,” the other chortled. “I would have loved to be a part of the meeting that decided this.”

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, then looked back to Skywalker. “So, when do we start?” she asked.

“Oh no, no.” He waved his hands in protest. “This is clearly a mistake. Sorry, kid, but you better go and tell ‘em that Detective Skywalker is not taking on trainees right now. Or ever.”

Starting to get a little fed up, Ahsoka crossed her arms. “You’re going to disobey direct orders from your superiors?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Kenobi commented.

“ _Obi-Wan._ Listen,” Skywalker said, pointing a finger at Ahsoka. “I don’t think you realize the situation I’m in right now. I’m already worked to the bone at my job, I haven’t been home in over forty-eight hours and my _wife_ is _pregnant_! As of two weeks ago!” His eyes were wide, clearly in need of sleep as he pointed at a still hologram of a woman whose face looked familiar. “Teaching a kid how to play police officer is the last thing I need right now. Run along, please.” He turned away from her, yawned and picked up his holotransmitter. “I’ll dial up the deputy for you, just tell him I’m too difficult to work with, okay? He’ll believe that.”

Ahsoka clenched her jaw. “No.”

He looked at her in surprise. “I’m sorry?”

“No, I’m not telling Deputy Windu to reassign me,” she clarified, hands on her hips. “Chief Yoda told me they took great care in choosing a trainer for me, and they chose _you._ That means there’s something I can learn from you, and that I am capable of training under you. If you doubt my credibility, take a look at my test scores,” she went on, straightening her posture. “I graduated top of my class, Detective Skywalker. I’m not here to play dress up, I’m more than ready to become a police officer, and if you’re the one who’s going to help me do that, then so be it. I’m up to the challenge.”

R2 beeped in a way that sounded like he was commending her. Even Kenobi looked impressed. To Ahsoka’s surprise, the crazed, tired look on Skywalker’s face melted and he smiled a genuine smile.

“Alright, Snips,” he said, his teeth showing in a grin. “I like your spunk.” He sighed and looked off into the distance, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. “In fact, you remind me of myself.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Kenobi muttered.

“Ya know what, I think we’re gonna get along just fine,” the other continued, and he held out his hand to Ahsoka.

“I think so too, _SkyGuy_ ,” she returned, shaking his hand.

And get along they did. Anakin, as the detective told Ahsoka to call him, was like the brother she never had. They hit it off right away and for once, Ahsoka was glad that she didn’t have connections to any big names or people, for if she had, there was the possibility that she wouldn’t have been able to work with Anakin in the first place.

She loved working alongside Obi-Wan and R2 as well. Obi-Wan became a great mentor to her, and R2 the best companion to have around whenever Ahsoka was alone in the office. She even loved that little office, with its tight and hard-to-maneuver space. She had her own small desk for filling out paperwork (and there was always a _lot_ of paperwork) and making calls on her additional holotransmitter that was used solely for work.

A work day for Ahsoka in the crime investigation department usually consisted of running small errands for Anakin and Obi-Wan, such as printing off information sheets, answering phone calls and leading clients into their office whenever they were assigned a case to look into, and they got all kinds of cases. The most recurring ones they would receive were missing persons or stolen property, but Ahsoka had yet to see a crime fall into their hands that involved murder or violence. In fact, the missing people tended to be tax evaders or family members running away from home.

When she wasn’t in the office, she was on patrol. Patrolling was mildly interesting at its best, and excruciatingly boring at its worst. As a trainee, Ahsoka was assigned to patrol Galactic City at least three times a week with Anakin, but during her first couple weeks of doing so, not a single thing had happened. The most excitement they had was writing a ticket for a speeder bike that was going over the speed limit. When she voiced her concerns to Anakin one night while she flew their police speeder through the streets, he just laughed.

“You should be grateful, Snips,” he reprimanded her lightly. “When the real crime starts happening, it’s not as fun as you’d think. Honestly, I’m kinda enjoying going on patrol again.” He leaned back in his seat, letting the wind ruffle his hair. “I haven’t done this since I was a new recruit myself.”

“Detectives don’t go on patrol?” she asked curiously.

“Nope, not our division. Speaking of which, what division are _you_ thinking of going in, Ahsoka?”

“To be honest with you, I’m not sure,” she admitted as they stopped at a red light. In front of them, they saw civilians crossing the street and a little Twi’lek boy, who was walking with his mother, waved at them. Ahsoka waved back with a smile. “I suppose I don’t mind doing patrols like this, or I could be an advocate for crime victims? Or, maybe a detective, or work on school campuses, or―”

“You’ve got a lot of options, that’s for sure,” Anakin said, smiling. “You don’t have to decide right away, of course, Snips. There’s plenty of time for you to choose. But,” he added when the light turned green. “If you ever decide to work in the crime investigation with us, I think you’d do a great job, and any partner assigned to you would be lucky to have you.”

Ahsoka was touched. “Thanks, Anakin,” she said sincerely.

She didn’t see much of Barriss at the station, and she saw even less of Lux and Steela, which was to say, hardly at all. Whenever she did pass her best friend in the hall, they used the short amount of time they could to catch up and swap stories about their training. Ahsoka was genuinely happy that she was having a good time working in the archives with Sergeant Unduli. Barriss’s primary job was to collect and send information to and from the police, and she was required to go on the mandatory patrol shifts like Ahsoka. They were able to eat lunch with each other a couple of times, but it turned out that both of their work was much too demanding for a lot of personal time. The same meant for chatting with Lux and Steela (not that Ahsoka much looked forward to talking with the latter). The four of them only managed to find time to talk through their holotransmitters once, and even then their conversation was cut short, as they had duties to perform.

“That’s the life of a trainee, I suppose,” Barriss had told her once. “But I think it’s worth it.” Ahsoka couldn’t have agreed more.

* * *

One morning, as Ahsoka was stapling packets together for their little team’s next briefing with a client, Anakin walked in with that unmistakable thousand-yard stare.

“G’Morning, Anakin,” she greeted when she saw him enter out of the corner of her eye, but when he didn’t reply, she looked up. He continued to stand by the doorway.

“What is it?” Obi-Wan asked, mildly concerned as he glanced up from his data pad. Anakin murmured something. “Speak up, now.”

“Twins,” the other said a little louder. “We’re having twins. The results came back from the doctor yesterday. Padmé and I are having… _twins_.” He slowly took a seat at his desk, eyes still wide.

“That’s amazing, congratulations!” Ahsoka cheered. R2 beeped rapidly, sharing the same sentiment.

“What’s that in your hand?” Obi-Wan asked, nodding at the card Anakin was holding.

“Oh, this?” Anakin tossed it to him. “It’s an invitation. The precinct is finally having a welcoming party for our recruits.”

“Woah, really?” Ahsoka read the card over Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “That’s this weekend.”

“Padmé’s coming too,” Anakin confirmed with a nod and he smiled. “Not only because she’s married to _me_ , of course,” he added jokingly.

“That’s right,” Ahsoka remembered. “Senator Amidala is one of the most well-known politicians around. I look forward to meeting her in person.”

“And Duchess Satine will be there, too,” Anakin added. He looked pointedly at Obi-Wan and waggled his eyebrows.

“Fascinating,” Obi-Wan said in an almost deadpan tone. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some work done.”

Ahsoka looked to Anakin for an explanation, but he just shook his head with a knowing smile.

The party was held in the station’s briefing room and housed police officers, politicians and other guests. Ahsoka was surprised when Senator Amidala squished her into the tightest hug upon meeting her.

“Ani’s told me so much about you,” she said with a warm smile. “I’m so happy I can finally put a name to the face!”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Senator,” Ahsoka said, her heart soaring. “I really admire your work, especially the way you’ve represented children’s rights all around the world. It really means a lot.”

“Please, call me Padmé,” she returned kindly. “And it is my honor to do the work that I do.”

“That is, until you take maternity leave,” Anakin reminded her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes, yes,” she assured him, patting his hand.

“Oh, there’s the Chancellor,” he said, noticing the man entering the room. “I’ll be right back.” He planted a quick kiss on his wife’s cheek and she and Ahsoka watched as he approached Chancellor Palpatine, who gave him a hug in greeting.

“I didn’t know Anakin was friends with the Chancellor,” Ahsoka said, astonished.

“Yes, he’s been close with Ani ever since he joined the force,” Padmé replied. Ahsoka thought she saw a troubled look on the senator’s face.

“He seems to dote on you a lot,” she said, offering to change the subject, and Padmé’s smile returned.

“He’s done that since the day I first saw him. He was assigned as my bodyguard a few years back, you see. That’s how we met and fell in love. Ah, look over there, Ahsoka.” She directed her attention to the far side of the room where Obi-Wan was speaking with Deputy Windu. Their conversation halted when a tall, elegant-looking woman walked up to them.

“Is that…?” Ahsoka trailed off, already knowing who the woman was.

“Duchess Satine Kryze,” Padmé confirmed. “She’s a good friend of mine… and of Obi-Wan’s.”

“You and Anakin seem to know something that I don’t.” Ahsoka grinned and Padmé grinned back.

“I don’t normally live for gossip, but Obi-Wan and Satine’s story is so sad yet so interesting, I can’t help but root for them. Oh, I wish I knew what they were talking about!”

Deputy Windu left, and the two seemed to be having a more or less awkward conversation.

“To cut it short,” Padmé went on. “They used to be really good friends a long time ago, but neither ever told the other how they felt. Then when it came to choosing their career paths, they both reluctantly parted ways and their relationship has been stuck in a stalemate of sorts ever since.”

Ahsoka whistled a low note. “That’s pretty complicated. And both of them are still single?”

“Yep.”

“Wouldn’t their relationship be difficult for the both of them if they did get together? I mean, they both have jobs that are pretty high maintenance.”

“Well, take me and Anakin for example,” Padmé told her. “No love is without its hardship, but if you truly love that person and they love you, you can make it work. It’s worth it, I promise.”

“Sho you shee Ahshoka,” Anakin said as he made his way back to them, holding a large dessert in his hands and eating it. “A happy relationship between a law enforsher and a politician ish one hundred pershent poshible.”

“You have a spot of cream on your lip, dear.” Padmé affectionately wiped her husband’s mouth with a napkin.

“Oh. Thanksh, honey.”

Ahsoka watched as Obi-Wan bowed to the Duchess and left her standing alone. She looked sad for a moment before another guest came up to speak with her, and she looked calm and collected again.

She then saw Barriss come in and as they waved at each other, Ahsoka felt her hand collide with something hard and she spun on her heel to see what it was.

“I’m sorry!” she said automatically and her blood froze when she saw who it was.

She’d just knocked over Lieutenant Colonel Dooku’s drink all over the front of his clothes.

Mortified, she picked up several napkins from the buffet table and attempted to soak up some of the liquid, while frantically saying, “I’m so, so sorry, sir. I wasn’t paying attention.”

He looked down his long pointy nose at her. She thought she saw a flicker of anger pass over his elderly features before he smiled easily.

“It’s quite alright, young one. No harm done.”

She froze, pulling the napkins away. Somehow, his reassuring words had the exact opposite effect and she stepped back. She muttered one last apology as he sauntered away, and Barriss appeared by her side.

“Is everything alright?” Barris asked, putting a hand on her arm.

“Yeah,” Ahsoka answered. “I just spilled Lieutenant Colonel Dooku’s drink all over him.” She put a hand over her forehead in shame. “Not a big deal.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Barriss soothed her. “He probably just looks a lot more intimidating than he really is.”

“Yeah,” Ahsoka repeated, but she wasn’t so sure. She’d passed the lieutenant colonel on occasion and saluted him like she did with all of her superiors. He would always nod coldly and she never took it personally, but this time was different. Not only had she spilled a drink on his clothes, but she also interacted with him face-to-face. She’d even heard rumors about the falling out between him and Chief Yoda, how Dooku was angry that the position of deputy chief fell to Mace Windu and not him.

Ahsoka shuddered. The cold feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach… She never wanted to experience that ever again.

After the party was over, Ahsoka flew home on her personal speeder bike and entered her apartment, greeted by her landlady as usual.

Burying her face into her pillow and ready to sleep, she heard a notification from her holotransmitter, sitting in the pocket of her jacket and she dug it out. It was a message from Anakin:

_Hey, Snips! Padmé and I wanted to make sure you got home okay._

Attached was a photo the three of them took together at the party. Ahsoka smiled at it, grateful for the new friends she’d made.

She found that she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, and was grateful that it was her day off tomorrow. Padmé’s words kept circulating through her head…

_“No love is without its hardships, but if you truly love that person and they love you, you can make it work. It’s worth it, I promise.”_

Had Ahsoka ever been in love with someone? In all her years of living, she couldn’t recall feeling such a strong emotion for anyone, not the romantic kind, anyway. She loved her friends with all her heart, but she wasn’t even sure if she loved Lux in a way that was more than a crush, though her feelings for him were still present.

Anakin and Padmé, and Obi-Wan and the Duchess… their love stories seemed so deep and romantic, with untold history as well as enticing mystery. Would she ever have a love like that? The kind that was passionate, complicated, full of hardship but also with so much happiness?

Or perhaps she was only fantasizing.

“I need to sleep,” she said aloud. “No more dreaming.” And she closed her eyes.

* * *

Ahsoka and Anakin had been assigned the night shift, munching on a quick bite as a substitute for dinner.

“We shouldn’t get into the habit of eating junk food on patrols,” she told him. Anakin had purchased greasy street food, and though it was delicious, it was probably horrible for one’s body.

“I know, but I’ve been craving salty food lately.” He took a big bite and he grinned. “I’ll be careful, Snips.”

“Isn’t there a thing where men feel the same symptoms as their wives during pregnancy?” she asked before also taking a large bite from her food.

“You’re referring to sympathetic pregnancy, officially known as couvade syndrome, and yes, that is a thing. Padmé’s been feeling really fatigued lately and I have, too―and she’s had cravings! That’s why I bought a second one of these.” He held an additional bag of the oily food, shaking it for Ahsoka to see. “Thought she might like one too when I get home later.”

“You guys are cute,” she said with a smile.

“Aw, thanks, Snips.”

Their conversation was cut short when they heard an alert from the radio in their speeder. Anakin quickly abandoned his food to retrieve the transmission.

 _“Broadcasting to all Galactic City officers,”_ the voice said. _“We have a Zabrak male on the run avoiding arrest. This is an emergency.”_

The two exchanged glances.

_“I repeat, a Zabrak male, red skin with black tattoos, headed down Midichlorian Street, southbound―”_

“Midichlorian Street? That’s where we are!” Ahsoka also dropped her food and double checked for her blaster on her belt. “Let’s go!”

“Ahsoka, wait!” Anakin tried to stop her. “Let me confirm the location first, and I need to call for backup!”

“You do that, I’ll go ahead!” she waved and headed north. The logical, law-abiding part of her knew she should wait as Anakin said so they could take on the suspect together, but the emotional, adventurous part of her was too excited to finally get some action after weeks of boredom and having nothing to do on patrols.

There was a chance that she’d regret this decision of going alone…

But right now she didn’t care.

 _“We have a confirmation on the identity of the suspect,”_ the voice on the radio reported, but Ahsoka was too far away to hear. _“It’s Maul.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Game, set, match >:D
> 
> I'm so excited to be writing my first mystery/detective story! I plan on writing this fic from multiple people's perspectives, so even though Ahsoka is the main character, we'll have some chapters from Maul's POV, Anakin's, etc.
> 
> And I hope the layout of this world isn't confusing! As briefly mentioned in the tags, everything in this universe is the same except: no Force, no Jedi, no Sith and instead of different planets in space, the names of said planets are names of locations on the one single planet featured in this story, which is Coruscant. So Alderaan is a town that is on the planet Coruscant. And there is no space travel! Could I have just made this easier and have the story take place on Earth? Absolutely, but I like to make things complicated for myself lol, but I also still wanted to have "aliens" or different species in this world rather than exclusively humans. And keeping in droids and speeders and ships just adds this cool, steampunk/sci-fi vibe that I've always been a fan of ;D
> 
> I hope that this does not decrease your enjoyment of the story! And if you weren't confused, that's awesome too! Thank you so much for reading!! <3
> 
> EDIT 10/26/20 I finally noticed that I had put down Lux as the nephew of Satine Kryze when that's not true at all! I have no idea why I wrote that. Anyway, that small mistake has finally been fixed! LOL


	2. MAUL I

This was _not_ how Maul’s night was supposed to go. He was supposed to meet the Pyke Syndicate in their usual spot in Mos Eisley District, collect the payment from them for their monthly supply of spice and be on his merry way. He had even invited his two younger brothers, Savage and Feral, to come along and watch. After all, it was time the two of them got to know how to handle the business.

But as soon as the three of them entered the dingy old cantina that evening, heavily cloaked and hoods up to conceal their identities, and Marg Krim waved Maul over from his seat in the far corner, he held out on an arm to prevent his brothers from entering the establishment and getting noticed by Marg.

“What is it, brother?” Feral asked nervously.

“Something isn’t right,” Savage guessed, and a low growl emitted from his throat, already itching for a fight.

“Indeed,” Maul said, and he lowered his arm. “Marg Krim has never been so friendly.” He watched the Syndicate leader signal a waitress and he used the opportunity to speak to his brothers. “Go now, he hasn’t seen you. I will handle this.”

“Let us help,” Savage insisted, holding up his fists. “You are always telling us that we need to learn to make our own in this world. If this slimy addict is trying to betray us, what better opportunity than this to teach him a lesson?”

“No,” Maul said sharply. “You will put the entire deal at risk.”

“But you brought us along―” Savage tried to protest.

“If your only solution is violence, then perhaps you are not ready to attend business deals with me yet. You and Feral both go home _now._ Give it to me.”

Feral handed over the duffel bag he held and could not hide the disappointment on his face, and Maul almost felt guilty, but he coldly turned away and offered no encouragement.

“Very well,” Savage muttered. “Come along, Feral. Our brother has no use for us now.” They walked back the way they came, and Maul stalked further inside the cantina, lowering his hood.

“Good to see you,” Marg said, and Maul raised an eyebrow. They’d started doing this business transaction a couple of years ago, but never with anything above a tolerant attitude. Usually, Maul was never one to be present to any of the spice deals for the Nightbrothers; he always left that to his many employees (excluding Savage and Feral, of course). However, Marg was the only one he’d deal with in person, for he was a slippery and deceiving sort of fellow. And today of all days, he was a lot more cordial than usual. Something definitely wasn’t right. His client had never greeted him with a smile before, but Maul would play his game for now.

“Have you brought my present?” Marg asked, drumming his three, long fingers on the worn table between them.

“I’ve never forgotten before,” Maul snapped as he took a seat, holding the duffel bag in his lap. Even in the annoyingly dim lighting and smoky atmosphere of the bar, he could see red powder caked all over the pyke’s face. Had the man no more dignity left? “You know how the deal goes.”

Nodding, Marg placed a briefcase on the table and opened it. As expected, numerous credits were stacked neatly inside. A quick count confirmed that it was the correct amount. Satisfied, Maul nodded and placed the bag on the table, but made no move to give it to Marg, seeing that he couldn’t seem to let the briefcase go, tightly gripping it with more force than necessary.

“Are you going to give me the money, or have your fingers suddenly become sticky?” Maul growled, both impatient and suspicious of Marg’s insolence. “I won’t hesitate to cut them off.”

Marg smiled again and Maul’s skin prickled.

“Sorry,” the pyke apologized, but he clearly didn’t mean it. “You won’t have a chance to.” And he looked past him and nodded.

Maul glanced over his shoulder and saw two people, a blue Twi’lek and a Nautolan, come up behind him. By the way they stared at him and carried themselves with irritating conceitedness, he could easily tell that these patrons were police officers.

“By the authority of the Galactic City Police Department,” the Twi’lek announced. “You are under arrest. Put your hands up, Maul.”

Maul ignored her and turned back to Marg. “You knew I’d be here in person,” he said. “And so you used the opportunity to snitch to the authorities. I never thought you’d stoop so low. Then again, I never regarded you highly in the first place.”

Marg showed his sharp teeth in a humorless smile. “You have no idea how wrong you are. Yes, I tipped off the police, but you know exactly who it is that’s behind all this…” His smile faded and his purple eyes grew dark with rage behind them. “The one who killed the Pyke Leader all those years ago.”

Maul’s eyes narrowed as he understood to whom he was referring: the one mole inside the police department… _Tyranus._ Even these foolish officers behind him had no idea that they were really doing the bidding of a crime lord.

 _So Tyranus has finally made a move against me,_ Maul thought irritably. _He's trying to get rid of the competition._

“I just happened to be the one who got caught in the crossfire,” Marg continued. He stood from his seat and walked towards the protection of the police, taking the briefcase with him.

“I won’t tell you again,” the Twi’lek spoke up again, and she aimed her blaster at him. “Stand up and show me your hands.”

“You heard her,” the Nautolan officer said. Maul sighed and rose slowly from his chair, raising his hands. Normally he wouldn’t have hesitated in killing them all, but he couldn’t cause too much of a commotion. The customers had already abandoned the cantina minutes ago, but if he fought back, it would surely catch the attention of passersby outside. He didn’t need more people seeing his face; the news already had a picture of him, albeit a blurry one.

So instead he lifted his chair and threw it at the Twi’lek. She easily dodged it, but he wasn’t trying to hit her. With both her and the other policeman momentarily distracted, he picked up the duffel bag and ran past them, bursting through the door back outside. He never thought he’d be so relieved to see the grimy streets of Mos Eisley before. His victory was short-lived, however, when he was Savage and Feral waiting outside for him. He gritted his teeth and stomped towards them.

“What are you still _doing_ here?!” he thundered, pushing them away from the entrance. “I thought I told you to go home!”

“We couldn’t let you be taken by the police!” Feral insisted. “We want to help!”

“If you want to help, _stay out of the way._ You fools are―”

“There he is!” The Nautolan caught up with them, quickly followed by his partner. “Who are your friends, Maul?”

“Nevermind that, we need to take all three of them in,” the Twi’lek said, and the two raised their blasters. “There’s no escape now, boys. It’s over.”

“Run!” Maul ordered and he took off. Finally, his brothers obeyed and sprinted in the opposite direction.

“What about them?” he heard the Nautolan ask.

“Maul’s our top priority, we go after him first. Call for backup!”

 _Good,_ Maul thought. _At least Savage and Feral will get away. But now I need an escape._

He kept running with the officers hot on his trail until he came across an intersection where speeders and ships raced by. He glanced around the area, trying to come up with a plan. Then, thinking quickly, he ducked under the vehicles, sliding across the ground with the duffel bag safely in his arms, ignoring surprised shouts from drivers before getting onto his feet and turning onto Midichlorian Street. He risked glancing back and saw that the police were nowhere to be seen.

 _That will put some distance between me and them, at least for now,_ he thought triumphantly. To his advantage, people were going about their evening and didn’t pay much attention to the brief chase, so he blended in easily with the crowd, though his cloak was ruined when he’d skidded on the asphalt and he was forced to abandon it. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Maul kept his eyes down and walked at the same pace as everyone else, careful not to draw attention to himself.

Walking for a couple more minutes, he thought he was in the clear and was already planning a route back to the Nightbrothers’ base until he heard sirens.

 _Damn it._ There were already officers on Midichlorian Street! What were the odds? He pushed his way through the crowd a little more forcefully, and he couldn’t help but think the duffel bag stuck out like a sore thumb. If it wasn’t containing the spice, he would have abandoned it immediately, but it was much too valuable to try and hide it somewhere with the risk of someone finding it. So he kept carrying it, and it seemed to weigh more and more with each passing second. He really needed to get out of this place.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the air and Maul got the feeling he was being watched. With no other choice, he abruptly turned down a dark, abandoned alleyway, puddles splashing underfoot, until he came to a dead end. He scanned the limited area before him. The wall was impossibly high and would be difficult to scale, but at this point he had to try. Whoever it was that recognized him, they’d be on their way to this location soon.

He sighed in frustration. This was _not_ how his night was supposed to go.

He hooked his arms securely through the handles of the bag and was about to look for footing to start climbing, when he heard the dreaded sounds of footsteps echo through the alley. He turned around.

And that’s when he saw her.

A young woman, a Togruta, who wore a police officer’s uniform, was running towards him. She skidded to a halt and stopped a few feet away from him. He saw her blue eyes stare at him in silence for a moment before shouting, “GCPD! Stop right there!”

“I’m not moving,” he responded with a raised eyebrow, and she narrowed her eyes, taking out her blaster and pointing it at him. Her movement was obviously precise and practiced, but when it came to arresting someone, she was clearly a novice.

“Drop the bag!” she ordered. “And turn around and face the wall!”

He made a show of sighing and tossing the duffle bag onto the ground, then did as she said, turning his back to her to look at the brick wall and crossing his wrists behind him.

“This is Officer Tano,” she reported into a comm link behind him. “I’ve got Maul cornered in an alleyway. Requesting backup on Midichlorian Street.”

_ “Copy that, Officer Tano,” _ a male voice responded, though he sounded exasperated.  _ “Now  _ please _ do not do anything stupid until I get there.” _

Maul heard her sigh but she did not answer back.

“So you know who I am,” he said, and he looked over his shoulder at her. She still had her weapon pointed at him.

“Eyes in front of you,” she commanded as she slowly made her towards him.

“It sounds like your superior doesn’t trust you,” he told her. “That doesn’t seem fair, does it? After all, you’ve already won. You caught me, congratulations. Perhaps after this you’ll get promoted.”

“Enough with the chatter. What’s in here?” He heard her nudge the bag with her boot, and there was hesitation in her voice. He could tell she was nervous about its contents.

“Open it and find out,” he goaded her.

“Is it a weapon?” she demanded.

“No, my dear, it is not. Have you never seen spice in person before?” he asked, and something inside him was surprisingly amused. How old was this girl exactly? Was she a new recruit? “Well, there’s a first time for everything. Before the others get here, feel free to take a whiff. I won’t stop you.”

“I won’t stoop to your level,” she snarled, and she was right behind him now. Soon she’d be taking out the durasteel cuffs to lock over his wrists.

“Believe me, I never use my own product,” Maul said, and he was willing to say anything just to keep her talking, but that was the truth. He’d seen what spice did to people; Marg Krim was a prime example of that.

“But you still sell it,” she told him with disgust, and he heard the familiar click of hand restraints and the sound of her holstering her weapon. His senses were heightened now, waiting until the right moment. “So you’re no better in my eyes.”

The moment she touched his arm, Maul grinned with triumph and pushed back with as much force as he could muster, sending her toppling over onto the ground. Her eyes were wide and she got out her blaster, but he kicked it out of her hands, sending it flying into the darkness.

“Wha―” She could not hide the shock on her face. If Maul wasn’t so keen on getting away, he would have stopped and considered the expression endearing. But instead he bent over to pick up the bag and reexamined the wall in front of him.

“You really should have waited for backup,” he said, glancing over his shoulder to look at her one last time before running and jumping onto the wall, balancing on the brick and climbing up to the top. If she was yelling curses at him, he was too far away to hear by the time he made it to the rooftop.

A gentle breeze caressed his skin while he examined the new terrain and began to forge a new plan. Jumping from roof to roof was not an ideal way to get back to base, but Maul had always been adaptable.

If only he hadn’t taken his time.

It wasn’t long after he’d thought he had escaped, standing at the edge of the rooftop, that the Togruta was climbing up after him. His jaw dropped and he couldn’t help but stare at her as she struggled, her hands scrambling to hold on, legs swinging over and finally pulling herself up. She took a second to catch her breath, hands resting on her knees, and then she stood up straight and faced him.

“You are under arrest,” she said, panting. “I am taking you in.”

“Your persistence is admirable, I’ll give you that,” he told her. “And you must have extraordinary stamina, that always has its benefits.” He watched as her hands balled into fists. “But you still have no backup, and now no blaster.”

“I don’t need my blaster to take you down,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Persistent _and_ arrogant,” Maul observed.

“No more than you!” she yelled and charged, sprinting across the roof towards him. With her fists raised, he thought she was aiming to punch him in the face so he dodged, but instead she crouched at the last second, using all of her body weight to slam into him and tackle him to the ground.

“Oof!” he grunted when she kneed him in the stomach. “Enough games,” he growled. He grabbed her waist and flipped them over so that her back was on the concrete.

“Couldn’t have said it better my _self!_ ” On the last syllable she kicked with all of her might and sent him over her head and nearly over the edge of the building. Maul caught himself just in time and glanced back at her as she was beginning to stand. That’s when he jumped and rolled onto the neighboring rooftop. To his surprise, the young lady had followed with just as much ease.

And so the chase continued.

The two of them jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and it turned out the policewoman’s stamina was no joke. If Maul hadn’t looked back and seen her weary face, he would have thought she possessed an endless supply of energy. He growled in frustration and kept his eyes in front of him. This little game had been fun at first, but now he really needed to lose her. Scanning the area, he spotted a droid factory up ahead with a roof that was made entirely of transparisteel, its purpose being to let in more natural sunlight.

 _This will do nicely,_ he thought. As he made to jump for it, he leapt into the air as high as possible, and then landed with all the force he could muster, hearing a loud, satisfying _crack_ when his heavy boots hit the transparisteel. The impact wasn’t enough to break through all the way, but that would be left to _her._

The Togruta caught up with him shortly. She stood on the rooftop above him, staring at him with triumph in her eyes.

“Had enough?” she taunted.

“Why don’t you come here and find out?” he asked. Her eyes narrowed but she took the bait and jumped. Only when her feet landed with a thud on the transparisteel did she realize her mistake. She looked down at the trap, then up at him, her blue eyes widening in fear.

Not a second passed before the roof shattered and she fell through the hole she made. It happened so quickly that she didn’t even have time to cry out. Maul felt a brief moment of victory, but he soon realized his own pride had blinded him. The damage done to the transparisteel grew and reached him, and soon he was quickly descending after her, falling into darkness.

* * *

When Maul finally became aware of his situation, he wasn’t sure if the fall had knocked him unconscious or if he’d stayed awake the entire time, and he’d definitely landed on something soft enough that he didn’t die. However, he lay there dazed for a moment, trying to remember where he was. Shattered transparisteel and dust were everywhere, and he sat up with difficulty, feeling aches and pains all over. He tried to ignore his injuries and looked around for an exit.

The factory was empty since it was after business hours, but the Togruta was nowhere to be found. Had she died from the fall? Perhaps she had not been so lucky as he, and had broken her neck, or had been impaled by a large shard of transparisteel. If Maul were a different person, he might have felt sorry for her. After all, she’d been a formidable opponent and he considered her worthy of fighting again.

He quickly forced her out of his mind. He needed to focus. He might have finally won against this nameless policewoman, but he still needed to find a way back home, not to mention he’d also lost the duffel bag full of spice during the fall. Better find it now while he still had the chance and slip away…

He stood and brushed debris off of himself, wincing at the many small cuts he could feel all too well on his body. He took a step forward to begin his search for the bag when he felt a sharp poke in the middle of his back. At first he thought he’d missed a piece of transparisteel, but then he heard her voice:

_“Don’t―move―a muscle.”_

Maul had to smile. A formidable opponent indeed…

“Should I add invulnerability to your list of many talents?” he asked.

“Shut up,” she barked, pressing the shard harder into his back ― not so hard as to draw blood, but he knew she was capable. And at this point, with how battered, exhausted and angry she probably was, he wouldn’t put murdering him past her. So he kept his mouth shut.

She walked him over to a support beam, ordered him to put his back against it and sit on the floor and cuffed his hands together around the beam so he couldn’t escape. That’s when he got a good look at her.

The four moons of Coruscant shone brightly through the shattered hole in the roof and illuminated her face. Like him, she had cuts all over her body, but there was a particularly nasty and deep slice on her left cheek. It was still bleeding, and the bright red blood glistened over her orange and white skin. She wiped her hand against the wound and stared at him. Her big, blue eyes seemed fiercer and colder under the moonlight, or perhaps it was her hatred for him that made them look that way. She held his duffel bag in one weary, trembling hand.

Now with all of her strength gone, she took a few steps back, tossed the bag aside, and sat heavily on the ground, resting her back against another support beam across from him. She was silent for a moment, breathing heavily and the movement of her tongue wetting her dry lips caught his eye. Maul continued to watch her as she dug her hand into her pocket for her comm link, took a few more breaths and said into the device with great effort, “This is… Officer Tano.”

Her face twisted in pain, and he at last saw the wound across her midriff, where blood was soaking through her uniform. So a piece of transparisteel had impaled her after all…

“I have apprehended… Maul. We’re at a droid factory downtown. You’ll know it when you… see it…” Her eyes began to droop and the comm link slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. Voices responded in rapid succession, some impressed at her accomplishment, some angry at her recklessness, but she heard none of it. Her eyes finally closed and she passed out.

“If only you could have done that sooner,” Maul said aloud, even though he knew she couldn’t hear him. His voice sounded bitter yet impressed to his own ears.

Not ten minutes went by before the familiar blue and red lights surrounded the entire perimeter of the factory. Maul had gotten so used to the darkness that the sudden flashing colors irritated him. Officer Tano still had not moved during the time it took for the police to arrive.

A squadron burst through the entrance of the factory, blasters aimed, with a bearded man leading the way.

“Clear!” he called. He then saw Maul, and then Officer Tano. “Anakin!” he shouted over his shoulder. Another man responded and immediately ran to the young girl.

“Ahsoka!” He got on his knees and knelt in front of her, but she did not open her eyes. He felt for her pulse. “She’s alive,” he said with relief, but then he noticed the wound in her stomach.

“So is he,” the bearded man said, nodding towards Maul. Anakin quickly rose and stalked towards him.

“Did you do this?!” he shouted, pointing to Ahsoka. “Did you hurt her?!”

“Yes,” Maul answered harshly and without hesitation, for it was the truth. He _had_ intended to kill her. Wasn’t that why he’d shattered the roof? Anakin roared with anger and was about to lunge for him, but the other man held him back.

“Anakin,” he repeated his name with more force. “You cannot.”

“He tried to kill Ahsoka, Obi-Wan!”

“Maul will get what he deserves,” Obi-Wan assured him. “But it is not up to us. Right now, you’d better take care of Ahsoka.”

Teeth gritted, Anakin reluctantly agreed and went back to the young girl, taking her in his arms and carrying her out of the factory. Just then, the same two police officers from before, the Twi’lek and Nautolan, arrived to take Maul to their speeder.

“I’ll leave him to you, Aayla, Kit.” Obi-Wan nodded to them and followed Anakin out the door. Aayla released Maul from the support beam before locking the durasteel cuffs around his wrists again.

“Lord Maul, by the authority of the Galactic City Police Department, you are under arrest. Do you know your rights?”

“Spare me,” Maul snapped.

The ride to the police station was a blur, as Maul could think of nothing else but of how to get out of this situation. The press were lined up at the entrance, holotransmitters flashing until all Maul could see were the white lights from the devices, giving him aggravating sunspots. Aayla and Kit led him into the building while other policemen held the press back.

Waiting to greet them in the lobby were three faces Maul recognized: Chief of Police Yoda, Deputy Windu and… Lieutenant Colonel Dooku.

“Pleased to see your safe return we are,” Yoda said to Aayla and Kit.

“Indeed,” Dooku folded his arms. “Captains Secura and Fisto, this is a most impressive feat you two have accomplished, capturing the notorious leader of Nightbrothers, _Lord Maul._ ”

“It wasn’t _them,_ ” Maul hissed, and everyone looked surprised to hear him speak up. “The credit of my capture belongs to someone else.”

“What is he talking about?” Windu asked.

“He’s right,” Kit said. “Aayla and I were not the ones who caught him.”

“Tell us the name of this person you must,” Yoda requested.

“Ahsoka… Tano,” Maul said before anyone else could. He certainly did not see the young woman as a friend since she had chased after him and arrested him, but the least he could do was defend her pride. But it was beyond that, of course. Even now, as these policemen were discussing his accommodations for his stay at the station, Maul’s mind was racing, thinking of his next step.

“Officer Tano will receive recognition of course,” Dooku said, narrowing his eyes at the Zabrak. “But right now Maul must be interrogated. Chief Yoda, if you will grant me permission―”

“No,” Maul interrupted, and once again all eyes turned to him in shock. “I don’t care what your questions or demands are…” His mouth went dry and he swallowed with difficulty, his palms becoming sweaty. He could do this; he was adaptable.

“ _She_ is the only person who has ever managed to win against me,” Maul continued. “And therefore the only person I will speak to, her and her alone. You can tell her that.” He paused, a wicked smile pulling at his lips.

“That is… if she is still alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh it's been over two months since I've updated this story, but my excitement and enthusiasm have not wavered! I did a word count and found that I used the word "transparisteel" a whopping eight times! Which is eight times more than I would have expected. Also I spelled it wrong every single time :P
> 
> I sincerely hope you were able to enjoy this chapter, especially the action scenes! They can be very difficult to write but so so satisfying to complete in the end.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! <3


	3. AHSOKA II

When Ahsoka awoke, she hadn’t realized she’d even been asleep, but she felt comfortable. So, so comfortable. For a moment, she thought she was in her bed in her apartment, lying under the sheets and sleeping in on a lazy Saturday morning. Sighing, she opened her eyes to look up at the peeling paint on her ceiling, only to find that it wasn’t her ceiling at all. It was smooth and clean.

The sleep rapidly faded from her body when she recognized that she was not in her apartment at all, but rather an unfamiliar room ― a hospital room to be exact. The sheets that covered her up to her shoulders smelled like the kinds that one would find only in a hospital, but they were keeping her warm, so she wasn’t complaining.

As she began to recollect the previous night’s events, her brain remembered the deep gash across her stomach, and her body soon caught up, registering that it was supposed to be hurting. Obviously the amount of pain had been lessened significantly by whatever suppressants were being pumped into her system, but it was still a dull, unpleasant feeling.

“Oof,” she said as she tried and failed to sit up. And then she heard shifting movement. Raising her head with difficulty from her pillows, she saw two friendly and relieved faces.

“Ahsoka!” Padmé rushed to her side and was about to hug her, but then stopped considering her wound. So instead she cupped her cheeks in her hands, which were warm and soft, and Ahsoka could feel a large bandage covering her left cheek. “I was so worried about you.”

“It’s true,” Anakin said as he came to stand next to her, putting a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “She’s been worried sick, couldn’t sleep the entire time we’ve been here.”

“No more than you,” she chided him lightly.

“How long have I been here?” Ahsoka croaked out. Her voice sounded raspy and her mouth felt dry.

“Thirty-six hours,” Anakin told her, and when her eyes widened, he clarified, “You had to have surgery for that wound.”

She pulled one of her hands out from the blankets to place on top, resting above the area where her stomach was.

“Was it serious?”

“Yes,” Padmé confirmed gravely. “I won’t lie to you, Ahsoka, there was a chance that you weren’t going to make it.” There were tears in her eyes, but she smiled comfortingly, placing her hand on top of hers. “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Ahsoka tried to return the smile, to reassure her friends that she was alive and well, but the bandage on her cheek prevented her and her entire face felt swollen.

“You must be dehydrated,” Padmé added. “I’ll go get you some water.” She squeezed Ahsoka’s hand, and then balanced on the tips of her toes to kiss Anakin’s cheek, looking him in the eyes. The couple seemed to communicate something to each other, but Ahsoka couldn’t figure out what it was. The senator soon left the room, and Anakin’s friendly smile faded away, looking down at his subordinate with a disappointed expression.

“Anakin,” Ahsoka began, and she resisted the urge to cough. Her mouth was so dry, dammit. “I’m so―”

“Save it,” he said, and his voice was surprisingly cold. She stared at him with shock as he folded his arms and stood rigidly. “I’m only going to tell you this once, Ahsoka, so listen up.”

She shrank under his stare. He said her name harshly, nowhere near as warm and encouraging as when he called her by her nickname. What happened to the Anakin from before?

“I was chosen to be your trainer two months ago, and you told me that you weren’t here to mess around, that you graduated top of your class. You’re intelligent, aren’t you? So why―” He threw his hands up. “ _Why_ did you do something so incredibly _stupid?_ What the hell were you thinking?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. “I am your trainer, you’re supposed to listen to me, yet you deliberately, _consciously_ disobeyed my orders to wait for backup and ran off on your own! You do know who Maul is, don’t you? He is a drug lord who makes money off of people, and he’s a killer! Ever since he’s made himself known, he has killed people without hesitation! What you did last night was probably the most idiotic thing I’ve ever seen you do!”

Ahsoka wanted to talk back to him, she really did. After all, Anakin Skywalker did _not_ have the reputation of following orders himself, she learned that on her very first day. But she knew this was not the time to bring that up. Anakin seemed to have gotten all of his anger out, because he sat in one of the chairs next to the bed, hunching over and rubbing his hands over his face.

“Don’t worry,” he muttered. “When your superiors reprimand you later, it won’t be as bad as this, I promise you that.” There was a pause before he continued, looking over at her. His blue eyes looked tired and sad. “Look, I was raised by a single mother for as long as I can remember, and then I lost her when I was nineteen. When she died…” His eyes glazed over and he fell silent again, as if reliving a horrible memory. There was something else, too, a look Ahsoka had never seen before in his eyes, something dark and unbearably painful, but he soon broke out of his reverie.

“Anyway, it’s something I don’t like to talk about. The point is, Ahsoka, is that she was the only family I had ever known. But over time, my family ended up growing in the most unexpected ways. Padmé, Obi-Wan, R2, Threepio―you haven’t met him yet―and now _you._ All of you have become my family. And I can’t lose any more of my family.”

That last statement brought tears to her eyes, not the fact that Anakin had been yelling at her, telling her she did something stupid, but the fact that she was his family. She had never even considered the idea of being a part of _anyone’s_ family. She held her friends very dear to her, but were they her family? She had never entertained the thought. But here and now, Anakin was telling her that family wasn’t something decided by blood, but by bond.

Ahsoka blinked her eyes rapidly and nodded. “You guys are my family, too, all of you. I’m sorry, I know what I did was selfish. I’m really, really sorry.”

Anakin’s icy exterior soon melted away, and his warm smile returned. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Snips, I’ve already forgiven you, long before you woke up. Just… wait for backup next time okay?”

Ahsoka nodded as eagerly as she could. Next time, she really would listen to him.

“You’re the closest thing I have to a sister, and I was scared to death when I saw you in that factory…” That dark look behind his eyes came and went again so swiftly, Ahsoka almost thought she imagined it. “And I know you can protect yourself, you are more capable than anyone I’ve seen in a long time, but I will do everything I can to make sure you are safe.”

Ahsoka found herself concerned for Anakin in that moment. She hadn’t thought her injury from the factory would have caused him to worry this much.

“Anakin―” she began, but Padmé reentered the room with the promised glass of water.

“You have visitors,” she told her, beaming. Following her into the room were Barriss, Lux and Steela. Again, Ahsoka tried to smile at them, but her face wouldn’t allow it and she put a hand on her cheek, wincing at the pain.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Lux scolded her. Anakin and Padmé soon left to give them space. Ahsoka tried not to let the hurt show on her face when she saw Lux and Steela holding hands. They seemed to be doing a lot better now in terms of their relationship, and she'd hoped that not seeing Lux for over two months would have helped her get over him, but it seemed her heart would not yet allow it.

Then to Ahsoka's surprise, Steela came right up to Ahsoka’s bedside and placed a vase of flowers on the nightstand.

“You idiot,” Steela said, sniffling. Her eyes were red and puffy and Ahsoka’s jaw dropped. Had Steela been crying for her? The girl wiped her eyes vigorously and wrapped her arms around Ahsoka’s neck, weeping into her shoulder. Ahsoka glanced over Lux and Barriss, hoping for an explanation, but the two of them just shrugged and smiled.

“Ah, Steela…” Ahsoka choked out. She was happy Steela was treating her differently than her usual cold manner, but a part of her body weight was on her stomach. “Still hurts…”

“Sorry!” Steela stepped back with a look of guilt on her face but she offered her a watery smile. “Lux may have bought these flowers, but I picked them out, okay? Don’t you forget it.”

Ahsoka’s surprised face melted in a heartfelt smile. It really was so good to see her friends again, her family…

They stayed for hours, catching up as much as they could and swapping training stories. Before they said their goodbyes, all of three of them asked with great interest what it was like capturing Maul, and Ahsoka was slightly taken aback, for the Zabrak crime lord had not crossed her mind for an instant during her time chatting with them.

She shrugged with an apologetic smile and answered, “I just kept chasing him until I got the upperhand, I guess.”

If they were disappointed by her lackluster response, they didn’t show it, but rather exchanged warm encouragement and hugs before taking off. They were, after all, still on active duty and needed to get back to their stations.

"Make sure to listen to the doctors and get lots of rest," Lux told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll need to regain your strength. Galactic City is lucky to have you, you know."

"Thanks, Lux," Ahsoka responded, and the irrational part of her wanted to take his words to heart. He knew he cared for her as a fellow graduate and friend, but she hoped he'd meant more than he said, despite how ridiculous the idea was.

She pretended his touch on her shoulder lingered, and that he looked back at her one more time before finally leaving with Steela and Barriss.

Ahsoka ended up staying at the hospital for the next five days to recover from her surgery and other wounds. She didn’t realize until she got up to go to the restroom how many cuts there were all over her body from her fall in the droid factory. Even at that moment, she was amazed that she was able to survive all of that. Perhaps it was her sheer will, adrenaline and determination to catch Maul that kept her alive.

During her stay, she received many more visitors: Obi-Wan, R2, other colleagues of hers such as Captains Aayla Secura and Kit Fisto. She hadn’t spoken to those two very much and was surprised to see them, but it was a welcome surprise all the same.

News of rookie officer Ahsoka Tano capturing the notorious crime lord Maul were impossible to ignore and spread like wildfire throughout Galactic City. The nurses and doctors gave her high praise for it, and Ahsoka knew they meant well, but even after one day of compliments and flattering remarks became too much. The press were also trying every second of the day to get into her room to interview her, but Anakin and Obi-Wan made it their personal mission to ensure they never got to her, and for that she was grateful. Obviously she knew arresting the famous Maul was a big deal, but she hadn’t thought about the consequences while she was chasing him that night. She really wasn’t ready for her face to be broadcasted all over Galactic City.

She kept hearing words like, “that’s impressive that someone as young as you managed to catch him after all these years” or “you’ll have a promising career ahead of you” and “we expect great things from you, Officer Tano” until the words sounded meaningless. She was just doing her duty, that was all. Was she being insanely reckless at the time? Absolutely, she’d finally admitted that to herself, but not once had it ever crossed her mind that subduing Lord Maul would change her life forever.

The day before she would be discharged from the hospital and allowed to go home, she received one last visit, this time from Chief Yoda and…

“Chancellor Palpatine?” Ahsoka said aloud, and she couldn’t help but gawk at him. The elderly man smiled at her and she quickly stood from her bed. She’d started to recover her strength during her stay and was up and walking with ease now. She saluted both of them.

“I’m so relieved to see you’ve healed from injuries,” Palpatine greeted kindly.

“Restored much to your original health you have,” Yoda noticed, a small smile on his green face. “But push yourself you must not. Sit.”

Ahsoka nodded and made her bed as neatly as possible before taking a seat back on the mattress. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“Galactic City is in your debt,” Palpatine began. “If you would allow me, I’d like to hold a ceremony for you outside the police department to officially thank you for your service.”

She raised her hands and waved them in protest. “That’s completely unnecessary, sir. I don’t deserve―”

“It is the least I can do,” he said casually, waving a wrinkled hand. “The people of Galactic City―no, _Coruscant_ is dying to meet you.”

“Really, I am honored, sir,” Ahsoka said carefully. “But I think I’m happy where I am.”

“Sure you are of this, Ahsoka?” Yoda asked. “A rare opportunity this is for a police officer, or anyone.”

“I’m sure, Chief,” she answered with a nod.

Palpatine’s smile never wavered. “You are most humble, Officer Tano. Truly, it is a privilege to have you on the force.” He cleared his throat and turned his head towards the open doorway. “You can come in now, Mas.”

The same Chagrian Ahsoka saw two months ago at the ceremony walked in, again holding an ornate box. He passed it to the chancellor, who opened it and showed Ahsoka what was inside.

“This award is yours and yours alone,” he said, holding up a medal with the symbol of Coruscant engraved into the gold. Ahsoka bowed her head as he hung it around her neck. She looked down at it with wide eyes, then up at Palpatine with a smile.

“Thank you, sir,” she said sincerely. “I will treasure this.”

Her smile stayed in place, even when he told her the familiar words, “we expect great things from you in the future, Ahsoka Tano.”

Afterwards when the Chancellor and his assistant left, Yoda stayed behind and Ahsoka waited with dread for the words, “fired you are” from the Chief of Police, but they never came. Yoda’s reprimand was not severe at all, just as Anakin had said. He told her kindly to be patient, that she was still a newly appointed officer on the force and that it was important for her to listen and learn before acting on her own. She wholeheartedly agreed with him and nodded vigorously, telling him she would do better in the future, and she really would. From this day on, she would be the best-behaved police officer that Coruscant ever saw.

She’d been advised to stay home and rest for at least another week before returning to work, but not a day passed after coming back to her apartment (her landlady was thankfully someone who didn’t keep up with the news and therefore had no idea about her arresting Maul), that Ahsoka started to feel restless. So she walked into work the next morning, took the elevator up to the fifth floor and walked down the dimly lit hallway leading her to the Crime Investigation unit.

Anakin, Obi-Wan and R2 were shocked to see her and scolded her a little, but they could not hide their joy in seeing her return.

“Everyone was very impressed, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan said as he, Anakin and Ahsoka walked down the wide hallway together after lunch, passing other policemen and women in greeting. “We’d been after Maul for years.”

“It’s true,” Anakin admitted sheepishly. “Among other elusive criminals, Maul was always one of the hardest to pin down. That was until you came along, Snips,” he added with an encouraging smile.

Ahsoka couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride grow in her chest, and she returned his smile, quite pleased with herself. Despite the compliments she’d received from others that felt empty and repetitive, it always meant a lot more coming from her team members… her family.

“Ahsoka!” a voice called, and the three turned around. Barriss was sprinting towards them from the other end of the hallway.

“Something the matter, Officer Offee?” Kenobi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Chief Yoda…” she tried to explain, catching her breath. “Chief Yoda wants to see Ahsoka downstairs in the interrogation rooms.”

“What for?” Ahsoka questioned, a little confused. She’d told the chief earlier that morning that she’d be coming back to work, and for a moment she felt the natural worry that she might have done something wrong.

“He wouldn’t say,” Barriss answered, shaking her head. “But… I do know that that’s where Maul is currently being held.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened slightly at this revelation. She glanced at Anakin, who seemed just as perplexed. He shook his head and shrugged.

* * *

Ahsoka exited the elevator and walked towards the interrogation rooms that were located on the basement level. She shivered, unsure if it was because she was nervous or cold, as this department was notorious for its constantly low temperature.

She entered one of the rooms, with the number “7” labelled on the door, and saw Chief Yoda and Deputy Windu waiting for her. Yoda was perched atop a tall chair, leaning on his cane while Windu stood next to him with his arms crossed.

“Chief, Deputy, sirs,” Ahsoka said automatically, saluting them both.

“Appreciate you coming down here, we do,” Yoda greeted casually.

“Anytime, sir. How may I be of service?”

“Having trouble with this one, we are,” he said, tapping the end of his cane against the one-way mirror, and Ahsoka finally looked over.

It was hard to believe that it’d been a week since she’d last seen Maul. He was leaning back in a hard chair, his hands in cuffs that rested on top of a steel table. His eyes were closed and it looked like he could have been sleeping, but upon hearing a tap on the glass, his eyes snapped open, glowering at the source of the sound. His angry and wary expression was so immediate, so raw and unhinged, yet focused, that Ahsoka could have thought he saw right through the glass, saw _her_.

“I’ve written my report on apprehending Maul and submitted it while I was at the hospital,” Ahsoka said, tearing her gaze away from him and addressing her superiors. “Forgive me, but I am not sure why I am here.”

“That is precisely the reason why,” Windu spoke up, glaring at Maul. “Because _you_ are the one who apprehended him.” He turned to Ahsoka. “He has refused to speak to anyone but you.”

Her jaw dropped. “He wants to speak with… me?” she asked incredulously. This entire week she’d been in recovery, the police hadn’t gotten a single word out of Maul? All because she was the one person he wanted to talk to? How could that be?

“Asked for you specifically, he did,” Yoda confirmed. “Enter you will, and talk to him.”

“There’s something else you should know before you go in there, Officer Tano,” Windu added. “The public have been informed that we have Maul in custody and have been interrogating him until the time for his trial, but there is something we’ve been deliberately keeping from them. You’re not to relay this next piece of information to anyone, not even to Detectives Kenobi and Skywalker.”

“Yes, sir,” Ahsoka said with a nod, but her brow furrowed. What could it possibly be that she couldn’t even tell her own co-workers?

“You know of the leader of the Pyke Syndicate, correct?”

“Marg Krim,” she answered automatically.

“Precisely. He is the one who tipped us off about his meeting with Maul a week ago. What his motives were, we are not exactly sure, but once we received his tip, we knew that capturing Maul would not only be a chance of stopping the Nightbrothers organization for good, but that it could lead to something greater.”

Ahsoka nodded, still unsure of where Deputy Windu was going with this, but she listened intently.

“Maul is the key to finding Sidious,” he finally said.

 _Sidious?_ Ahsoka’s jaw dropped. _That’s what all this is about? The police want to find Lord Sidious, the most elusive and mysterious crime lord on the planet?_ Somehow, in that moment, her triumph in arresting Maul felt like nothing. Yoda and Windu didn’t really want _Maul._ Sure, he was a criminal, but the things he’d done were almost pea-sized compared to the big prize that was Sidious.

She tried to keep a straight face in front of the Chief and Deputy, but she started to feel like this whole quest was hopeless. If these two hadn’t been able to get anything out of Maul for an entire week, who was to say that she could do any better? And they wanted her to make him talk about Sidious, of all people.

“Willing to make a deal with him we are to find Sidious,” Yoda finally spoke up. “Much needed, however, your help is.”

“O-of course, sir,” she stuttered, forcing herself to nod her head. “Anything to help us find Sidious.”

“Good,” Windu said curtly, and he gestured towards the door that led to the other side. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Ahsoka took a deep breath, stood up straight and walked in. When she entered the room, Maul’s attention was immediately drawn to her. His expression was now passive, however, as he watched her approach. She regarded him in silence for a moment. Then she went over to a corner of the room, filling a paper cup of water from the dispenser and setting it in front of him. He looked at it, then up at her, and then the corner of his mouth lifted, but he did not touch the cup.

“It would be a lot easier to drink if I didn’t have these,” he spoke, raising his shackles.

“They look plenty comfortable to me, especially after the ones I put on you,” she retorted boldly. His smile grew and he took a sip of the water.

“Had to try,” he said casually, setting the cup back down and looking up at her. “So you are the one who managed to capture me. What was your name again?”

Ahsoka hesitated. “You may address me as ‘Officer Tano.’”

“Pleasure to officially meet you, Officer Tano,” Maul greeted, his voice calm and even. “I’d shake hands but…” He once again showed her his bound wrists, then ducked them under the table and leaned forward. “I have to ask, how are your injuries?”

Ahsoka resisted the urge to cover her stomach, even though there was no way Maul could possibly see the stitches underneath her shirt. However, she still saw his eyes flicker to her lower abdomen.

“None of your concern,” she finally answered, and she hated that she hesitated. “I’d be more worried about yours.” Indeed, the small cuts he’d received from the broken transparisteel at the factory had healed within the week just like hers had, but it wasn’t as if the crime lord was receiving hospital-level treatment for his wounds. She suddenly wondered how the police, her own co-workers, were treating him. Were they feeding him proper food? Where did he sleep? Surely not in this very room? She had never thought to ask anyone, never bothered to learn about it. She supposed there were some things that a police officer never learned, and the thought made her stomach churn, reminding her of her secret mission from Yoda and Windu.

Trying not to think about it too much, she considered the fact that Maul asked about her injury rather strange. He certainly didn’t care for her, that was definitely not it, and the feeling was mutual. Because of him, she’d fallen through that transparisteel roof and received a wound so serious that she had to get surgery for it. But in the end, Ahsoka found that she didn’t hate him. In fact, she found that she had no opinion of him whatsoever, but she’d rather get this interrogation over with as soon as possible.

“Your distress over me is touching,” Maul remarked sarcastically. He paused and seemed to study her. “I must say, no has ever outsmarted me like that, not like you did last week. I am impressed.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Ahsoka said flatly, crossing her arms.

“Oh?” He looked amused.

“Why did you ask to see me?” she inquired, trying not to let her impatience show.

“As I said, you have impressed me. The way you pursued me, never giving up and managing to take me down, I wasn’t expecting it all. I respect you,” he told her with a shrug, but there was something in his voice that told her he was sincere. “I respect you far more than any other authority I’ve met here, and believe me,” he added with a mysterious look in his eyes. “I _know_ the policemen in this precinct. However, your face was not one I had seen before. I think it is safe to assume… you are one of the newest recruits?” He gave her a onceover. “Fresh from the academy?”

“That’s right.” She drew herself up. “I am.”

“Hm.” Maul was thoughtful for a moment. “You have a promising career ahead of you, Officer Tano.”

Ahsoka felt a slight twinge of annoyance. There were quite a few people who’d been saying that to her this past week, weren’t there?

“You don’t like hearing that,” Maul realized, reading her expression. “Tell me, what is it about that statement that irks you?”

Her brow furrowed. This was not why she was sent in here, this wasn’t what they were supposed to be talking about.

“Come now,” he continued, sensing her hesitation. “Will you not indulge me? I am genuinely interested. Tell me, and I will cooperate. And do have a seat. I would like to consider us equals.”

She raised an eyebrow. If this conversation between them was not him cooperating, then what was he like when he actually was? She wanted to glance back at the mirror, for some kind of acknowledgement that she should go ahead, but she knew she would not receive it. For now, she would go along. _Find a way to bring up Sidious,_ she reminded herself.

She reluctantly took a seat in the chair opposite of him. Now that they were face-to-face, she suddenly remembered the last time she was this close to him, which was in the droid factory. She’d cuffed him to a support beam, and he looked right into her eyes with his golden ones, just as he was doing now.

“I believe…” she said slowly, refusing to back down from his stare. “That one capture of a notorious criminal does not define the rest of my career. I believe I can make what I will of my future, as long as I’m on the right path and remain true to my principles.”

Maul was genuinely interested after all, giving her his undivided attention. “Please, tell me what your principles are.”

“Justice, loyalty,” Ahsoka answered without thinking. This was starting to sound like a job interview more than anything. “Compassion, putting myself before others, defending those who cannot defend themselves. I believe that’s what being a police officer is all about.”

He looked at her for a long moment and she could practically see the gears in his head turning, though she wasn’t sure whether or not she should be concerned about him considering her words so carefully.

“Thank you,” he said finally. “For answering my questions. Now, as I said before, Officer Tano, I am willing to cooperate. What is it that your superiors want?”

Ahsoka blinked at him, astonished at the turn of the conversation. This was almost too easy. “We want your help in finding and stopping Sidious once and for all.”

Maul did not look at all surprised at her response. “I suspected so. Ultimately, I am but a pawn in the schemes created by those in higher places, as are you.”

She furrowed her brow, and he saw her confusion and disbelief.

“You will see it, in time,” he told her ominously. “So Chief Yoda wants to know who Sidious is, does he? As do we all.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I’d be willing to make a deal with the police,” he told her, and Ahsoka found it strange that he didn’t seem to include her among them. “However, I have certain demands that would need to be met.”

“That’s not up to me,” she replied. She could feel their talk was coming to an end, and somehow, she felt a little regretful, but she didn't know why. “Make your list of demands, but at the end of the day, I will have to speak with my superiors first.”

“Of course, take your time, but do return. I have enjoyed our conversation together, Officer Tano. I’d hate to lose someone so interesting to talk to.”

She stared at him, her eyes narrowed. What was he playing at? She stood from her seat and left the room, meeting Yoda and Windu on the other side.

“Done well you have,” Yoda praised her.

“We will be discussing exactly what kind of deal to make with Maul,” Windu said. “You are free to go, Officer Tano.”

“Perform your other duties you may. Call you back when needed again we will. And remember to keep our objective a secret you must.”

“Only you, Chief Yoda and I know about this,” Windu added. “You are not even to _say_ that you possess any kind of secret knowledge. As far as you are concerned, you know nothing about our plans with Maul.”

“Yes, sir.” Ahsoka saluted, but before going out the door, she glanced at Maul. His face was back to its neutral expression, eyes half-lidded and hands on top of the table once more. She couldn’t figure him out, she realized. Last week he’d been running from her, not hesitating to end her life. Today he spoke to her with an odd mix of respect and playfulness. Now he was as still as a statue. Ahsoka studied him for a second longer, and then finally left.

The rest of the evening went on smoothly. Ahsoka was given permission to go out patrolling by herself for the first time and her shift passed without hardly an incident. She helped an elderly woman with a large and heavy load of groceries, and afterwards she gave her a large stack of tuile biscuits that she’d purchased.

 _It feels good to help someone, even if it seems small,_ Ahsoka thought in content as she munched on the snack. _And the reward isn’t too bad, either._

When her shift was over and it was time to head home, Ahsoka walked by Chief Yoda’s office on her way to the exit. He and Windu were in deep conversation, and she assumed it was about Maul. She hadn’t heard back from either of them concerning their plans with him.

She got into the elevator to get to the ground floor, and saw the familiar button that led further down… She wondered what Maul was doing at this moment, probably sitting in the same position as when she’d left. Was he really going to cooperate? What kinds of demands would he make?

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the elevator doors slide open.

“Snips?” a voice was calling her. Ahsoka broke from her line of thought, seeing a hand waving in front of her eyes.

“Sorry, Anakin,” she apologized.

“Everything alright?” he asked. His other hand was keeping the doors from closing in on them.

“Yeah, just tired, is all.”

“Ahem.”

Anakin turned to see Tera Sinube waiting to get into the lift.

“Woops, sorry, Inspector.” Anakin leapt out of the way and Ahsoka exited, waving good-bye to the old Cosian inspector.

“Going home, then?” Anakin asked as he walked with her.

“Yeah. You?”

“Not yet. I still gotta file some paperwork. By the time I get home, though, Padmé will probably already be asleep,” he said, pouting a little.

Ahsoka laughed. “How is she doing these days?”

“She gets these really bad headaches lately,” he said. “She tries not to complain, but I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through. Maybe I should buy her some sweets on the way home,” he added thoughtfully. He looked over at Ahsoka. “By the way, how was it interrogating Maul? At least, I’m assuming that’s what you did.”

Ahsoka’s blood froze, and a feeling of guilt consumed her, but she kept her face passive and kept walking. “Nothing special,” she lied. “I think the Chief and Deputy thought I’d be useful since I’m the one who captured him, but he still won’t talk.”

“Hm, too bad,” Anakin commented, and she sighed internally; thankfully he didn’t see through her lie. “But maybe you’ll get through to him. I’ve always thought you had a way with words.” He crossed his arms, smiling as they stood next to the large glass doors of the station.

She smiled back, knowing he was referring to the first day they met. “Maybe. Have a good night, SkyGuy.”

“Good night, Snips.”

She walked outside and towards her personal speeder bike. As she raced home, she could think of nothing else but the fact that she had just lied to Anakin, her very good friend, someone she looked up to like an older brother. The logical part of herself knew she was being ridiculous for feeling this way. After all, taking on secret assignments was not unheard of, and two months ago when she was a newly pointed officer, she would have been proud to know that she was being told top secret information. But knowing what said top secret information was… she somehow felt dirty. More than anything, she wanted to tell Anakin and Obi-Wan about the objective to find Sidious. She felt everyone deserved to know, but those two in particular. She trusted them more than anyone else she ever knew, but it appeared that Yoda and Windu didn’t feel the same way.

She parked her bike, said good night to her landlady and walked up the rickety old stairs to her apartment. How long was she supposed to keep this act up? How long would she be _able_ to keep it up? It was only the first day, yet it was weighing down on her like a ton of bricks. Surely, all of her co-workers would be asking her about Maul, right? They already were a week ago when she was recovering in the hospital. How could she keep lying to Anakin, Obi-Wan, even R2?

Ahsoka felt so drained, she didn’t have any appetite and almost didn’t even want to change into her pajamas before going to bed. She tried to think of something comforting to help her sleep as she lay under the covers, but nothing came. When she thought of her Barriss, Lux and Steela, all that popped in her head was the shameful and accusing reminder that she’d have to lie to them, too.

Instead, Maul of all people came into her thoughts.

 _“I am but a pawn in the schemes created by those in higher places,”_ he’d told her. _“As are you.”_

The statement had unsettled her, _still_ unsettled her. Did Maul know? Did he know that Yoda and Windu were using her to get to him? Why did that bother her so much? She was just doing her duty, wasn’t she? So why did she feel like she was doing the wrong thing?

Another statement he’d said to her also plagued her thoughts as she tossed and turned that night:

_“I have enjoyed our conversation together, Officer Tano. I’d hate to lose someone so interesting to talk to.”_

Ahsoka knew she wasn’t crazy when she thought talking with Maul had felt more like an interview than an interrogation, and it was completely targeted towards the wrong person. She found it hard to imagine him as a crime lord all of a sudden. He was an odd fellow, that was for certain, but “odd” was nicely put. She knew she shouldn’t trust him. After all, he was a wanted criminal who ran a spice trade.

 _It’s just Maul getting to me,_ she told herself as she tried and failed to get to sleep. _I won’t let him get to me. I won’t._

Suddenly, she wished she hadn’t caught him a week ago, that she had waited for backup. Then she wouldn’t have been pulled into all of this mess.

The next morning when she walked into work, Anakin and Obi-Wan were concerned about the dark circles under her eyes and suggested she return home in case she wasn’t fully recovered from her injuries. But she put on a fake smile and did the most unnatural, hateful thing she could ever do: lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! I hope you're all enjoying your weekend so far and staying safe, and I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well! Before I had even finished writing the first chapter, I had Ahsoka and Maul's interrogation planned and written out for a long time. It was very important to me to get it just right, so important to the point that I was still making last minute adjustments before posting this chapter lol!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! <3


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